ENGLISH IN PICTURES
A BOOKWORM
(informal) A person who enjoys reading and spends a lot of time doing it.
SERIAL vs. CEREAL
These two words have the same pronunciation: /ˈsɪərɪəl/ but they mean different things... serial as an adjective means 'consisting of or being part of a series'; cereal is a noun and means a grain used for food, such as wheat, rye, oats, rice, corn, etc.
WHINE vs. WINE
TO WHINE - to cry, to whimper, to complain about something; The noun form is the same, and A WHINE can also refer to the sound a dog produces when it wants your attention. vs WINE - an alcoholic drink made from fermented grape juice. The two words are pronounced in exactly the same way, but they mean completely different things, so mind your spelling in writing and pay attention to the context when reading or listening
ON THE WRONG END OF
If you are on the wrong end of a bad situation, e.g. a defeat, you are the person or side that suffers or loses.
DESSERT vs. DESERT
Be careful about these two words - They look similar, but they have a different meaning and are pronounced differently
FAN THE FLAMES
To fan the flames (of something) - to make a situation worse, to make something more intense
DO THE DONKEY WORK
If you do the donkey work, you do the hard work or the less interesting part of the work that needs to be done.
(GET A) WINDFALL
a windfall: a sudden and unexpected piece of good fortune or an advantage that you gain, or an amount of money that you win or receive unexpectedly